Desertion

Some soldiers leave their jobs.

They do not plan to come back. This is called desertion.

It is different from being late. Some people leave for a short time. They might come back later. But deserters mean to stay away. This can lead to big trouble. In some lands, rules were very harsh. Many people worked to make things better. Some soldiers were even given pardons later. It is a big part of history.

Desertion is when a soldier leaves their job without permission. They do this because they do not plan to return.

This is different from being absent for a short time. People who are away for a little while are called AWOL.

They might come back later. Deserters intend to stay away for good.

Rules about leaving have changed over time. In the past, many countries used very harsh punishments. For example, some soldiers in Germany were executed during World War II.

In Canada during World War I, many men were given death sentences. However, only 25 men were actually killed.

Today, many places look back at these events differently. In 2012, Ireland gave a pardon to soldiers from World War II. They had left to fight against fascism. In Austria, a new memorial honors those who left the Nazi military.

These stories show how people make hard choices during wars.

Desertion is a serious act in the military. It happens when a person leaves their duty or post without permission. These people do not intend to come back to their unit. This is different from being AWOL, which means absence without leave. People who are AWOL are away for a short time. They might return to their jobs later.

Deserters, however, leave with the plan to stay away. In the United States, someone becomes a deserter after being away for thirty days. This rule helps the military track who is still part of the group.

There are different ways to break military rules about being present. One type is called missing movement. This is when a person does not arrive at the right time to move with their unit. In the United States, this is a violation of the Uniform Code of Military Justice. Another type is failure to repair. This happens when a person misses a meeting or a formation. These are different from desertion because they may not involve the intent to never return. The U.S. military also uses a code called absent-unknown. This helps police start investigations during the first 48 hours a person is missing.

History shows that desertion has happened in many different wars. During the First World War, the Australian Imperial Force had many people go AWOL. The Australian government refused to execute these soldiers. In Canada during that same war, over 200 death sentences were passed. Only 25 of those men were actually executed.

In Italy, about 128,000 desertion cases happened during the First World War. Some of those people even joined the United States Army. These numbers show how many people felt they could not stay in their units.

Rules and punishments have changed a lot over the years. In Germany, only 18 deserters were executed during the First World War. However, 15,000 men were executed during the Second World War. In Ireland, about 7,000 men deserted during the Second World War. Many of them left to fight against fascism.

In 2012, the Irish government gave these men a pardon. In Austria, a memorial was built in 2014 to honor people who left the Nazi military. The monument is located at the Ballhausplatz in Vienna. It features a poem by the poet Ian Hamilton Finlay. These actions show how countries change their minds about the past.

Desertion often happens during times of great struggle or change. In Colombia, the FARC group lost many members during their armed conflict. Between 2002 and 2017, over 19,000 people left the group. In Afghanistan, many troops left their posts in 2009 or in 2021. Even today, desertion is a topic in modern conflicts. Since 2022, many Russian soldiers have left during the war in Ukraine. Some reports say over 50,000 soldiers deserted in 2023 and 2024. These events show how hard it is to keep an army together during a war.

Desertion is the act of abandoning military duty or a specific post without permission. To be considered a deserter, a person must leave with the specific intention of never returning. This is different from being Absent Without Leave (AWOL) or having an unauthorized absence. AWOL refers to temporary absences where the person might still return. In many modern militaries, such as those in the United States, United Kingdom, and Canada, personnel are classified as AWOL if they lack a valid pass or leave.

Military law distinguishes desertion from other types of absence through specific intent. In the United States, personnel are often dropped from unit rolls after thirty days of absence. Once this happens, they are listed as deserters. However, legal desertion is not strictly about the amount of time spent away. It is defined by the intent to avoid hazardous duty or to shirk a contractual obligation. A person might even be charged with desertion if they join a different branch of service without disclosing their previous status.

There are several other specific violations regarding military presence. Missing movement occurs when a service member fails to arrive at a set time and place to deploy with their unit. In the United States, this violates Article 87 of the Uniform Code of Military Justice (UCMJ). Another violation is failure to repair, which is a lesser offense under Article 86 of the UCMJ. This happens when someone misses a formation or an assigned meeting. To manage these situations, the U.S. military created the "absent-unknown" (AUN) status in 2020. This status prompts police investigations during the first 48 hours a member is missing.

History shows that desertion has occurred across many different eras and conflicts. During the First World War, the Australian Imperial Force had a very high rate of unauthorized absences. Despite pressure from the British, the Australian Government refused to execute soldiers for desertion. In Canada during the same war, the military passed more than 200 death sentences. However, only 25 men were actually executed. In Italy, the scale was much larger, with about 128,000 desertion cases during the First World War.

Punishments for desertion have varied wildly depending on the country and the time period. In Germany, the numbers changed drastically between the two World Wars. Only 18 Germans were executed for desertion during the First World War. In contrast, the German Wehrmacht executed 15,000 men for desertion during the Second World War. In Ireland, about 7,000 men deserted during the Second World War. Many of these men left their posts to fight against fascism. While they were once seen as traitors, the Irish government issued a pardon to them in 2012.

Sometimes, desertion is linked to political or moral decisions. During the First Indochina War, some members of the French Foreign Legion deserted to fight for the Việt Minh. They did this after witnessing the torture of Vietnamese peasants. In Austria, the perspective on desertion has shifted toward honoring those who left the Nazi military. In 2014, President Heinz Fischer inaugurated a memorial in Vienna for these victims. The monument was created by artist Olaf Nicolai and features a poem by Ian Hamilton Finlay.

Modern conflicts also show how desertion can affect the strength of an organization. In Colombia, the FARC insurgency saw a massive decline due to desertion. Between 2002 and 2017, the Ministry of Defense reported 19,504 deserters from the group. In Afghanistan, one quarter of the ANA and ANSF troops reportedly deserted in 2009. More recently, since the 2022 Russian mobilization, desertion has remained a major issue. Leaked documents suggest that more than 50,000 Russian soldiers deserted during the invasion of Ukraine, mostly throughout 2023 and 2024.